Mamoru sighed as he got his laptop seized from him. The American federal agent that stepped up to him grinned in triumph as he popped the laptop open.

Federal Agent: (Speaking Japanese.) Hello, Mr. Ishida. I'm Agent Effer. I'm quite sure you're well aware of the charges against you. Mamoru: (Grits his teeth.) I did none of it. Agent Effer: Lie all you want, Ishida. We have all the evidence we need against you. Log files, IP addresses, everything. Mamoru: (Grins.) Yeah, right. I would never leave such dumb evidence behind if I were really cracking as you so boldly implicated. Agent Effer: Cracking? Mamoru: You baka na gaijin call it hacking. But, hacking is the art of computer appreciation and absorbation of all information required to know a system inside and out. Cracking is the illegal use of that purpose for self-gain and profit. Agent Effer: I see. You know your stuff. Mamoru: I should. I'm a hacker. Agent Effer: Right. (Snaps his fingers.) Men. Leave us and wait outside. Make sure nobody gets in or out. (They nod and leave.) Now... what did you use to hack... err, crack... your way into those highly secure systems? Mamoru: Nothing. I didn't do it. Agent Effer: Don't pull your shit on me, kid. I know how a hacker thinks. I used to be one before I became an FBI agent. Now... answer me! Mamoru: Why don't you find out for yourself? Agent Effer: I think I will. (Turns on the laptop.) Hmm... a Linux system, eh? Mamoru: That's right. Agent Effer: (Sighs.) I can't use Linux. Mamoru: Doors user? Agent Effer: And proud of it. If you use Linux, then that explains the ease it took for you to hack those systems. Mamoru: You dummy. If I hacked those systems with Linux, which I didn't, I wouldn't have left such an open trail. You're looking for the wrong person. Agent Effer: Say what you want. Now... where are your other friends? Mamoru: (Sneers.) I don't know what you're talking about. Agent Effer: (Pulls out his gun.) I will use any means necessary, Ishida. Don't think that because I'm an American means that I'll show you mercy for the benefit of my country. Mamoru: I don't expect you to. (Crosses his arms.) However, if you do shoot me, you'll be facing the wrath of my parents. Agent Effer: (Grins.) Hiding behind your mommy and daddy? Mamoru: (Leans his forehead against the gun.) Damn straight. Agent Effer: (Laughs.) You got balls, kid! I like that. You're very good at this. But, let's just see how good you are downtown, eh?

*** Mamoru sat in the back of the cop car for what seemed like hours on end. During that time, he hoped that the others got away safely. However, he wanted so badly to join them. He had no idea what the cops would do to him in there.

Agent Effer: E-Reality? Mamoru: What? Agent Effer: (Looking back at Mamoru.) Not you, I'm talking on the phone. (Gets back to his call.) So, you guys are scrapping that E-Reality project, eh? Geez, that sucks. I heard it was gonna revolutionize the entire biological electronics industry. Mamoru: [He... he knows about E-Reality... maybe I can find out what it is.] Agent Effer: Unstable? In what way? Oh, yeah. I knew that. But, I thought that the new beta version was gonna fix that problem. It did? Then, what was the problem with it? (Suddenly sits up in his seat.) It got deleted by a hacker?! (Slams his fist against the dashboard.) Dammit! I really wanted to field test the sucker. Can you guys make it again? (Laughs uproariously.) The hacker deleted ALL the files, eh? I bet it was that HACK-R group... Mamoru: [Oops.] Agent Effer: (Sighs.) Well, I guess you're not gonna spend another five years doing it again, eh? Yeah, I guessed not. (Shakes his head.) Don't worry, we'll find that group and make sure they get their dues. Yeah. Bye. (Turns off his phone.) Mamoru: What's E-Reality? Agent Effer: (Shakes his head.) It's top secret, Ishida. It was supposed to totally revolutionize life as we knew it. Mamoru: How? Agent Effer: (Sighs.) Well, since it ain't happening thanks to you and your HACK-R friends, I guess I'll tell you. It was something called a window manager that would meld with a human host and transform him or her in ways never thought possible by the use of something called themes. Mamoru: A physical window manager for humans?? Really?? Agent Effer: Yep. If you wanted to become a ninja, you would just load up a ninja theme and not only would E-Reality change your appearance into a ninja, you'd also have the abilities and knowledge required for a ninja. Mamoru: Awesome! Agent Effer: Yeah. I hope you're feeling guilty now. I really wanted to be a painter. Mamoru: A painter? Agent Effer: Yes. I always wanted to paint. Are you surprised? Mamoru: Not at all. So... how was it supposed to work? Agent Effer: Voice commands... you just load all the files into your E-Reality Suit, which would store them until you wanted to use them, and then you activated it by saying, "E-Reality Theme Change", and then the name of the theme you wanted. Mamoru: Wow... E-Reality Theme Change... <BEEP> Agent Effer: What was that? Mamoru: What was what? Agent Effer: That beep... Mamoru: I dunno... Agent Effer: (Checks his watch.) Oh. It was my watch. Looks like it's lunch time. Mamoru: (Ponders.) [Last night... when I was paralyzed... maybe I...? Nah...] (Quietly whispers.) {E-Reality Theme Change. "Ninja".} (Waits.) [Pfft. It's all a bunch of hokey.] Agent Effer: You hungry, Ishida? Mamoru: Kinda. Do you think I could borrow my laptop? I want to access some files for a second. Agent Effer: What kind of files? Mamoru: (Smirks.) Some files on how to break out of a cop car. Agent Effer: (Grins.) You're funny, kid. (Passes him the laptop.) Just don't do anything dumb, okay? Since there are no telephones anywhere nearby, you can't log on to the Internet to cause anymore trouble. Mamoru: (Turns on his laptop.) Thanks. Agent Effer: You know, you could get a job with us. It's better to work for us instead of being imprisoned. I can recommend you. All you have to do is turn in your friends. Mamoru: I'll, uh... think about it. Agent Effer: (Nods his head.) Good. (Stops the car at a restaurant.) What do you want to eat? Mamoru: Is yakisobe okay? Agent Effer: Fine by me. I'm in the mood for yakisobe. (Leaves the car.) Mamoru: [Alright... where did I put those E-Reality files?] (Finds them.) [A-ha! Now, where's a readme on it?] (Finds a readme file and opens it.) [Hmm... it seems that you have to pipe the configure script to "E-Reality.Suit" to gain an actual E-Reality Suit. Neat. Looks like I did that already. Okay, what's next?] (Scrolls down a screen.) [Okay, once the suit is absorbed into the human host body, you gotta download some themes into your suit. The suit contains a total capacity of ten gigs of data. Okay, to download a file, say, "E-Reality Download." Then, say the filename. Okay.] E-Reality Download. "E-Reality.README".

Suddenly, the speakers emitted some static that paralyzed his body once again. He was greeted by a soothing feeling as his body was pumped with data. Then, after only a split second, the data flow stopped.

Once again, the soothing feeling of the download overwhelmed him, and it lasted a bit longer than before, since the files totaled a larger capacity than the "E-Reality.README" file. After five seconds, he gasped as the download completed.

Mamoru: [Holy shit... that felt so damn good!] (Gathers the laptop into his backpack and puts it on.) [Time to bust this place.] E-Reality Theme Install.

Suddenly, a floating window popped up in front of him, listing all the available themes in the E-Reality Suit. He tentatively reached a hand out and touched the "Liquify.theme" filename. The window closed up and disappeared just as he felt a change occur. His clothes suddenly disappeared as the E-Reality Suit appeared on his skin and over top of his backpack. It was completely black with green binary digits running in several directions.

Mamoru: Holy shit!

Suddenly, the suit changed into a wet, blue surface, and blue armor grew out of his shoulders. His body and backpack then became translucent and his pupils disappeared. Mamoru looked at himself in shock.

Mamoru: I've... become a water-based humanoid! (Grins.) Alright, let's see what I can do. (Punches at the window. His hand splashes all over the place.) Oh, shit! I lost my hand! (Slowly tries to breathe, but realizes that he can't.) I can't breathe either! (Pauses.) Then, why can I still talk? Wait a second... (Concentrates for a moment until the water on the window jumps back on to his arm and becomes his hand again.) Okay... being liquified sure has its odd moments. (Glances at the grate between himself and the front seats.) I'll try going through there. (Climbs on to the seat and jumps through the grate, splashing all over the dashboard.) [Just great... now that I'm on the other side, I'm just a wet stain. Gotta concentrate to bring myself back together again.] (All the water jumps back on to the driver's seat and forms back into his humanoid shape with a backpack.) Okay, time to bust outta here and meet the others. E-Reality Theme Default. (Turns back into his normal self.) Whew! Time to go!

He opened the door and got out, just as Agent Effer stepped out of the restaurant with the yakisobe. They stared in shock at each other for a few moments before Agent Effer rushed towards him. Immediately, Mamoru ran away.

Agent Effer: (Tossing the yakisobe away.) Get back here, Ishida! Mamoru: No way, Effer! E-Reality Theme Install! (The pop-up window displays in front of him, following him as he runs. He touches the "Metal_Talon.theme" filename.) Agent Effer: Oh, shit! You have the E-Reality Suit!

Suddenly, as Mamoru ran, the suit reappeared on him and metallic wings sprouted out of his back. His head morphed into a helmet and body armor appeared all over his skin. A rocket extracted out of his backpack and he took off.

Mamoru: Effer, I'm going to clear my name if it's the last thing I do! Agent Effer: (Stops running and draws his gun.) Get back down here, or I'll shoot! Mamoru: Don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet each other again! (His afterburners kick in and he zooms off into the distance.) Agent Effer: (Slows down to a stop.) CHIKUSHO!!! I'll get you, Ishida!

*** Mamoru landed near the Noshimo district and turned back to normal with a quick command. Then, he headed for a phone booth, trying to get access to a phone line. He swore under his breath as he noticed that the lines were secured.

Mamoru: Shit. I wish Ranzo was here. (Heads off to a house.) [This E-Reality Suit just kicks ass!] (Laughs in exhilaration.) [I love it! And since I have the only files, I should outfit everybody else with them. Yeah, that'd be a good idea. It would certainly help us to find this HACK-R group fast.] (Knocks on a door.) [Hope they'll let me borrow their phone line.]

The door opened up to reveal an elderly man with a friendly smile.

Man: May I help you? Mamoru: Hai. I'm Mamoru. I was wondering if I could borrow your phone line. Man: My phone line? Mamoru: Yeah, I lost my friends downtown and I have to contact them on the Internet with my laptop. Man: Well, certainly! Come on in! Mamoru: Domo arigatou!

He hooked his modem up to the kitchen phone line and immediately booted up the machine. Once he logged in, he dialed up the Internet.

Masamune: You sure can type fast. Mamoru: I'm been doing it for twelve years. Masamune: You're very talented, Ishida-san. Mamoru: Thanks. (Pauses.) Wait... I never told you my last name. Masamune: You didn't need to. Your name and face were all over the television and the newspaper. Mamoru: (Nervously backs away.) What are you saying? Masamune: (Grins.) You're popular. Mamoru: (In surprise.) You're... not gonna turn me in? Masamune: You're innocent until you're proven guilty. Mamoru: (Sighs.) I have to remember to thank you some more later when my name gets cleared. Masamune: Don't mention it.

After loading up his instant messenger, he checked his messages. There was one message, so he clicked it and impatiently watched it load up.

Mamoru: [Damn, I miss fiber-optic.] Message: "To RayTracer Pixxel. Ready and waiting for instructions. From MechTech-X and the team." Mamoru: [Okay...] (Starts typing in his response.) RayTracer Pixxel: "To MechTech-X and the team. Meet me at Noshimo Mall, in the food court. I'll be the one wearing the dark red suit. From RayTracer Pixxel." Mamoru: (Sends the message.) Arigatou, Nogata-san. I'll be leaving now. Masamune: If you ever need more help, don't hesitate to visit. You can also call me. The number's on the phone. Mamoru: (Types Masamune's phone number into his address book.) I'll repay your kindness once this is all over, Nogata-san. Masamune: No need to. Just let me know how it turns out. Mamoru: (Grins.) No problem. (Packs up his laptop and replaces the kitchen phone cord.) Ja ne! Masamune: Ja ne! (Mamoru leaves.) Hmm... I wonder if he's a friend of Yukino's...

*** Mamoru walked briskly down the street and made sure that nobody was around before loading a theme.

Mamoru: E-Reality Theme Install. (The pop-up window appears in front of him, but he ignores it this time.) "Professional_Hitman.theme".

As he continued to walk, his E-Reality Suit reappeared over him and changed into a dark-red, silk suit with a black t-shirt underneath his overcoat. His backpack changed into a briefcase on his hand and some thin sunglasses appeared over his eyes as his hair became short and well-groomed. Expensive shoes adorned his feet as twin gun holsters materialized inside of his overcoat. After the theme was fully loaded, which took mere seconds, he grinned to himself.

Mamoru: Damn, I'm cool.

He made his way to the Noshimo Mall and upon his arrival, he walked inside and made several passing girls stare at him as he headed for the food court. He paid the females no attention, trying not to draw any undue attention to himself. He finally reached the food court, bought a meal, and took a seat, propping his briefcase on top of the desk. After finishing his meal, he oddly felt hungry again, so he went and grabbed another meal. Two times. After he finished his third meal, he checked his expensive watch.

Mamoru: Hmm... just a few more seconds. (Pats his satisfied stomach.)

Right on schedule, Takayuki and the rest of the group stepped into the mall, looking the same as they did when he last saw them. This time, however, he had a surprise planned for them. They walked further into the mall, getting nervous glances from everybody who recognized them, but they disregarded it, heading for the food court. They passed right by Mamoru and he chuckled to himself.

Mamoru: You idiots. Didn't I say I was in a red suit? Ranzo: (Spinning around.) Mamoru! Mitsune: (Stares at Mamoru.) Wow, Mamoru, you're looking damn good. (She winks at him.) Mamoru: Thanks. Takayuki: Mamoru, is it me, or you suddenly gained a sense of style? Mamoru: Sorta. Junichi: What happened to you, anyway? We heard a loud explosion after we made our way out of the sewer, and then we sent that message to you an hour ago. Where were you all this time? Mamoru: (Stands up and tosses his empty can over his shoulder. It lands perfectly in the garbage can behind him.) I got caught by the cops, and an American FBI agent. Hitomi: You're kidding, right? Mamoru: (Shakes his head.) Nope. (Takes off his sunglasses.) I also found out some very interesting things. They would make Hikaru's novels seem like children's stories. Hikaru: Mamoru, you wound me! Mamoru: (Grins at her.) I was only kidding. But, it's right up there. Anyway, I had a chance to escape, and I went online at somebody's house. Takayuki: So, where do we go now? Mamoru: We have to find a secure place. Ranzo: (Turns to leave.) Well, let's go now! Mamoru: (Stops Ranzo and cocks his eyebrow.) You guys didn't notice the way everybody was staring at you when you walked in? Junichi: People were staring at us? Mamoru: Don't worry about it. They probably called the cops already. In fact, there are cops surrounding us at this very moment. Takayuki: You're shitting us, right? Hitomi: (Pulling on Takayuki's sleeve.) Umm... he's not. We're surrounded.

They stared around themselves to see police officers in a circle around them. They all muttered the same obscenities, save for Mamoru, who was calm and collected.

Mamoru: Don't panic. Just grab the ends of the tables and pull them up to surround us in a circle. Ranzo: What's the purpose of that?! Mamoru: (Casually cricks his neck.) To avoid the bullets. Takayuki: Shit. Let's do it!

They immediately pulled the tables over on their sides and huddled inside the safe circle. Mamoru joined them, putting his shades back on. He immediately drew his twin handguns out of their holsters, his friends immediately widening their eyes in surprise.

He immediately stood up and began firing in front of him, fanning his arms outwards until he covered half of the circle around him. Just as the officers behind him drew their guns, he ducked back down into the barricade of tables, which withstood the hail of bullets.

Mamoru: It's a good thing they're all wearing bullet-proof vests. Takayuki: Umm, Mamoru... since when did you become a Hong Kong action flick? Mamoru: (Grins.) Round two.

He stood up in the other direction and started firing more rounds from his handguns, taking out the rest of the officers. Then, dropping his clips, he quickly pulled out some extras and reloaded his weapons.

Mamoru: It's safe. (Everybody stood back up.) Ranzo: Oh, man. My heart's going to... Mamoru: (Immediately fires a single shot at Ranzo. The officer behind him falls over.) Come on, we don't have much time before the rest of them wake up. (Leaps over the barricade.) Ranzo: (In shock.) ... Takayuki: Come on, Ranzo! Snap out of it!

They all ran out of the food court and made their way towards the exit, just as they spotted more cops outside. The law enforcers fired their weapons, shattering the glass doors as Mamoru backed up and hid behind the water fountain with his friends. Mamoru sighed and reholstered his handguns. Then, he opened up his briefcase and pulled out a couple of Uzis. He tossed the empty briefcase at Takayuki, who caught it.

Mamoru: Hold that. Takayuki: Holy shit!!

Immediately, Mamoru ran out to the side of the fountain and rained on the cops with his weapons. While he did so, he yelled back to his companions.

Mamoru: Go! Head for the roof! Takayuki: (Nods.) Let's go, guys!

Mamoru slowly walked backwards to follow his companions. When they disappeared into the stairwell, he kept firing and opened the door. As soon as he stepped inside, his bullets ran out. Breathing a sigh of relief, he used his Uzis to bolt the door. Then, he ran upstairs to join his team on the roof. When he reached there, Takayuki and Mitsune immediately confronted him.

Mitsune: Mamoru! What the hell were you doing with those dangerous weapons?! Mamoru: Mitsune, I... Takayuki: (Interrupts.) And since when did you become so good at shoot-outs?! Mamoru: Takayuki, it was... Hitomi: (Interrupts.) Hey, hey. Ease up, guys. He saved us, didn't he? Takayuki: Yeah. So, who are you and what did you do with our friend? Mamoru: (Laughs.) Nothing. It's part of the amazing shit I've been through. Remember when I was electrocuted last night? Mitsune: Yeah? Mamoru: It was because my body was paralyzed, and you guys are gonna have to go through the same thing. Takayuki: (Backs away.) What do you mean? Mamoru: Don't be shocked, guys. E-Reality Theme Default.

Suddenly, his expensive attire faded away to reveal his E-Reality Suit, which morphed back into his clothes. Everybody's jaws hit the ground.

Everybody Else: WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! Mamoru: (Grins.) My sentiments exactly. Hikaru: That's amazing! How'd you do that?! Mamoru: I don't have time to explain. Each of you must do as I say if we want to get outta here.

He took off his backpack and pulled out his laptop, typing in the command to create a new E-Reality Suit. He then gestured to Mitsune.

Mamoru: Mitsune. You're first. Put on the headphones, hit the enter key, and then after that, say, E-Reality Download. "Wildcard.theme". Mitsune: (Nods nervously.) Okay. Mamoru: Each of you must do the same thing. Understood? (Everybody nods slowly.) Good. While you guys do that, I'll keep our police friends busy. E-Reality Theme Install. (The pop-up window appears to everybody's amazement. He touches "Flame_Body.theme".)

Suddenly, his E-Reality Suit appeared, and then he was engulfed in flames. He grinned, winking at everybody.

Suddenly, she gasped again as she experienced the download, and then she sighed happily after it finished.

Mitsune: Wow... that felt SO good! (Purrs contentedly.)

Ranzo stared at her in lust. Junichi casually slapped his back, making him revert his expression.

Hitomi: (Eagerly.) I'm next!

Suddenly, flames shot out of the roof exit and appeared in front of them, turning back into the flaming Mamoru. He issued the command to return to normal.

Mamoru: How goes it? Mitsune: (Immediately bounces over to Mamoru and hugs him.) It feels so good, Mamoru! Can I do that again? Mamoru: (Grins.) Only when we make more themes. Mitsune: (In perplexion.) Huh? Mamoru: Never mind. Just repeat what I say. E-Reality Theme Install. (His pop-up window appears.) Mitsune: Okay. E-Reality Theme Install. (Her own pop-up window appears.) Wow! Coolness! Mamoru: Touch "Mecha_Suit.theme".

After they simultaneously touched the same filename, the E-Reality Suits reappeared over them, and then a mecha suit formed around them.

Mitsune: Wow! This is so cool! Mamoru: I know. Mitsune: But... why do I know how to use this thing? Mamoru: Like I said, I'll explain it later.

After Hitomi finished acquiring her E-Reality Suit, everybody was only too eager to get their own, and they rushed to do so as fast as possible. Finally, when everybody was standing in mecha suits, Mamoru took his laptop.

Mamoru: E-Reality Download. "Wildcard". (Reels back as he absorbs all the E-Reality files within seconds.) Whew! I love it when I have to download stuff. However, we shouldn't let anybody get their hands on my laptop like that FBI agent did. This kind of power is too dangerous to let anybody else have. (Deletes all the E-Reality files off his hard drive.) Takayuki: But, what if... ? Mamoru: Don't worry. That's why I backed them up into my E-Reality Suit. Junichi: This is just so wicked. Hikaru: Looks like I've got some inspiration for a new novel! Mitsune: Is writing all you ever think about, oneechan? Hikaru: (Nods.) Hai! Ranzo: So... what do we do now? Mamoru: (Blasts off into the air, hovering for a few moments.) We find HACK-R, and we clear our names. Takayuki: (Grins as he joins Mamoru.) Sounds like a good plan.

Once everybody took off into the air, they blasted off into the distance at an amazing speed.

* logout *

This is where the storyline gets GOOD. I swear, though, I didn’t even watch The Matrix when I wrote this one! I was more inspired by Chow Yun-Fat’s Once a Thief.

Additional Resources

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this blog ever since I started using Hummingbird last fall. So, I decided to try an idea of mine called Lesson Reviews. Essentially, it’s more of a “what I learned from X anime” than a review, but the thing is, there will be good and […]

Y has been hooked on anime since the mid-nineties, expanding his interests after the new millennium into other pop culture (POPUKARU) media including manga, ongaku, movies, zasshi, and terebi. After taking a 2 year hiatus in 2009 to restructure his finances (i.e. get out of otaku instigated debt, shiku shiku), Y is back and ready consume POPUKARU media at a leisurely pace. [Read More …]

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